Question
Gospel Communication Elements of Culture Paper Instructions
The Gospel Communication Project allows students to apply the principles of Cultural Intelligence to a specific cross-cultural evangelistic encounter. As a cumulative project throughout the course (through 2 papers and a video presentation), students will research cultural elements which will affect a person’s understanding of the gospel message, create a plan for communicating effectively with a person from a specific culture, and present the story of God through video as they would if they were able to share the gospel with that person.
For this paper, you should choose someone who is from a significantly different culture than your own (look for differences in things like country/region of origin, ethnicity, language, religion, time orientation, etc.).*** This person should be an unbeliever (or you will need to pretend that they are an unbeliever for the sake of this paper), and they should be from an ethnolinguistic macro-culture (think of a culture associated with a foreign country who speaks a different language). You will write a formal academic paper about the cultural elements of this person. This paper will prepare you to share God’s story with them in an effective way considering their culture and worldview.
*** Note: If you do not know an unbeliever from a different ethno-linguistic macro-culture than your own, you may use a fictitious character and make up the cultural background information.
While there is no specific word count or page count for this project, significant effort should be made to thoroughly explore each of the topics below through application of the course materials as well as research of sources outside of the course. Your paper should be neatly formatted and organized, and it should include a cover page, page numbers, footnote citations, proper headings and subheadings, and a bibliography. It should be double spaced and in Times New Roman, 12- pt. Font. You should cite all of your sources through in-text citations or footnotes and include a bibliography or works cited page of all of your sources at the end of your paper. You may use any academic writing style you choose (APA, MLA, Turabian, Chicago, etc.).
You should review the assignment rubric to understand how this project will be assessed and how to maximize your score on this project. This first paper should have 4 sections: Introduction, Cultural Systems, Cultural Value Orientations, and Elements of Communication.
Introduction
In this section, you should introduce the person you have chosen to receive the Gospel message. Answer the following questions in a paragraph or two. (Questions in parenthesis are suggestions to help guide you as you describe the person.)
- Give details about your friend’s personal story. (What is their age? Ethnicity? Where are they from? What religion do they follow? What language do they speak? Where do they live now? What do they do for school/work, etc.?).
- Provide information on your relationship with the person. (How do you know them? What are your interactions with them? Are they a coworker or neighbor? Do you see them on a regular basis or just periodically?)
- Discuss how their current circumstances affect their cultural practices. (If their family is from a foreign country, but they have grown up most of their life in America, how does that affect their worldview? Do they adhere to all the traditional cultural practices on their parents?)
- Discuss their interest in issues of faith? (Is this person open to hearing the story of God?)
Cultural Systems
In this section, you should choose at least 3 of the 6 cultural systems from Chapter 4 of Leading with Cultural Intelligence. Discuss each cultural system and identify which of the pair apply most directly to the culture of your friend (For example: Does your friend’s culture have a nuclear or kinship family system?). How do you see this cultural system in your friend’s life? How does that cultural system affect your friend’s way of life, interactions, aspirations, and openness to issues of faith? Aside from interviewing your friend and referencing the course textbook, you should include research from at least 1 outside source to support your arguments.
Cultural Value Orientations
In this section, discuss at least 5 of the 10 cultural value orientation pairs. Which cultural values are strong in your friend and their culture (For example: Does your friend’s culture have a short-term or long-term value orientation?)? How do you see these cultural values in your friend’s life? How do each of these cultural values affect your friend’s worldview and actions? Use at least 1 outside resource other than interviewing your friend to support your assessment of the culture.
Elements of Communication
In this section, discuss at least 3 elements of verbal and non-verbal communication which are prevalent in your friend’s culture. (Think about the verbal and non-verbal communication strategies presented in Chapter 7 of Leading with Cultural Intelligence.) You should include at least 1 verbal element and 1 non-verbal element. The 3rd element can be either verbal or non-verbal. How do you see these elements of communication in your friend’s culture? How do these elements of communication affect the way your friend sends and receives messages? Support your statements with at least 1 outside source other than an interview with your friend or the course textbook.
Submit your Gospel Communication Elements of Culture Paper by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 3.
Solution
Cultural Elements
Introduction
I have made a very close non-Christian friend. Although he is from Thailand he frequently speaks English but also fluent in Thai. He came to America to pursue higher education through a scholarship program. We spent a significant time together especially debating about some intriguing and intense topics and occurrences around the world. My friend is Buddhist and although he far away from his family he regularly visits the temple and sets time for his spiritual growth. However, due to the religious diversity in religion, he likes to discuss issues on religions. Besides being fun and entertaining he has opened my eyes to various things about where he comes from and planning to share with him about the Christian faith. He is full of compassion for others, always trying to do good, and has a desire to loving others and living a meaningful life. Since all these are incorporated in the Christian faith it will be easier to share the story of God with him.
Cultural Systems
Religious System
In their religion, Buddhists do not believe in a supreme god where (Ng, 2016). Although Buddha is an extraordinary and important man in Buddhism, he is not a god. Buddhists’ main focus is achieving enlightenment. My friend is trying his best to live a moral life “away from sin”, and he is determined to seek wisdom. Meditation alongside wisdom and morality makes a path that leads to enlightenment. As a result, my friend is encouraged to avoid self-indulgence and to constantly meditate …………for help with this assignment contact us via Email Address: consulttutor10@gmail.com